Saturday, May 05, 2007

Interesting. I suppose it really shouldn't be so surprising that greater liberty for all translates into greater happiness... though I suppose for some, quite the opposite happens (whose numbers, I suspect, are probably overpopulated with elites). Quoting the National Review on the Economist's Free Exchange Blog:

Why so glum? The numbers show that high average incomes, a low unemployment rate, extensive economic freedom, and relatively open labor markets tend to boost happiness levels, while generous welfare handouts, lower levels of inequality, and bigger government have little or no positive effect. The areas where the French do relatively well, such as low inequality and size of government, tend not to make its people feel much better, while the areas where they do poorly, such as unemployment and economic freedom, take a real bite out of happiness.